Shoulder-rest for violins and other musical-instruments.



B. POEHLAND. SHOULDER REST FOR VIOLINS AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23. I914.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

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E0 WITNESSES:

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.. BERNHARD POEHLAND, or :enoonnxn, NEW YORK.

SHOULDER-RE ST FOR VIOLINS AND OTHER. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specificatien of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

Application filed. November 23, 1914. Serial No. 873,522.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BERNHARD PonHLANo, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Rests for Violins and other Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, comparatively inexpensive and elicient rest which will insure the convenient control of a violin or viola to which it may be applied, in a desired position at the shoulder of the player, without discomfort to the player or interference with the proper tonal qualities of the instrument.

I am aware that many different appliances have heretofore been produced to serve as shoulder rests for violins but these appliances have not generally been satisfactory in that they have been inconvenient to the player, unduly expensive, cumbrous and prej udicial to the tone of the instrument by reason of the metal parts employed in connection with them.

The purpose of my invention is to remedy the objections heretofore existing with respect to the shoulder rests and to provide a rest or shoulder cushion of novel construction capable of being quickly applied to and removed from a violin without the use of screws and metal clamps'or any parts likely to affect the-tone of the instrument. The rest of my invention is detachably held on the instrument under the tension of rubber or elastic and hence while firmly positioned is suificiently yielding to avoid, in any of its parts, interference with the tonal qualities of the instrument.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of a shoulder rest embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same taken on the dotted line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of a portion of a violin with the shoulder rest of my invention shown positioned thereon; Fig. 4 is an edge view of the same, and Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through the rest taken on the dotted line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, 10 designates the shoulder rest pad as a whole, and 11 elastic loops connected with the ends thereof and serving as flexible means for readily connecting the rest with the instrument.

I preferably build up or construct the rest or pad in the manner shown, employing a base or inner partition 12 of card-board or other suitable material in the general outline the edge of the rest or pad is to have, and on one side of this base or partition 12 I apply soft felt 13 or the like in sufficient quantity to create a substantial cushion of longitudinally elongated convex or mound outline and upon this cushion and closely inclosing it I apply a covering 1% of any suitable character, such as cloth or leather, which retains the padding of felt 13 and tends to prevent the rest from slipping at the players shoulder. I preferably employ corduroy for the covering 14, since this material may be had in suitable color and thickness for use and while being soft and flexible has sufficient roughness on its surface to cause the rest to cling to some extent to the shoulder of the player. The edges of the covering fabric 14 are extended inwardly, as at 15, along the edges of the base 12 at the side thereof opposite to the padding 13 and there secured to said base by glue or the like, said covering fabric 14 being thereby secured in position and effectually inclosing the paddin-g 13.

Against that face of the base or partition 12 opposite to that which received the padding 13, I apply a padding of felt or the like 16, and upon this padding I apply a covering fabric 17 preferably of the same character as the covering fabric 14. The covering fabric 17 extends substantially out to the edges of the base or partition 12 and upon the interned edge portions of the fabric 1st and is secured at its edges to said portions of the fabric 14 by glue or other suitable means, whereby the fabric 17 becomes held in place and efficiently confines the padding 16. That side of the shoulder rest containing the padding 16 and which is the upper side of said rest when the same is in use, is much less in thickness than the padding 13 and is almost flat at its outer surface, which is intended to directly engage the violin.

The ends of the rest or pad are narrowed to form neck portions, as shown in Fig. 1, and in these portions are eyelets 18, which receive the means by which the rest may be attached to a violin or viola. Elastic bands 11 or bands made of silk-elastic may be looped through the eyelets 18 so as to be connected with the shoulder rest and these bands will at their outer portions form loops for connection with the instrument 19, one of the loops being hooked upon the tailpiece-post or button 20 and the other stretched over the rear usual projecting portion 21 of the casing of the instrument at the side thereof as shown in Fig. 3. The bands 11 serve as very efficient and simple flexible connections for instantly attaching the shoulder-rest on the instrument Without the use of metal clamps, screws and the like, and preferably said bands, or at least one of them, is of rubber or elastic so that the rest may be held against the instrument under a yielding tension causing it to hug or bind against the same. If one of' the flexible connections 11 should be inelastic the other connection 11 being elastic will create the tension necessary to bind the rest against the instrument and enable one to apply the rest by merely hooking the con nections on the tail-piece-post 20 and projecting portion '21 of the instrument.

The shoulder-rest of my invention is efficient and of simple, durable and inexpensive character and very convenient of application to the instrument, as will be seen without further detailed explanation, the use of metal clamps, screws and the like being wholly avoided.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a shoulder-rest for violins and other musical instruments comprising a padded cushion adapted on one side to engage the face of the casing of the instrument and having at its ends flexible securing-connections for engagement respectively with the tail-piecepost of the instrument and the usual projecting portion of the casing of the instrument at the side thereof.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a shoulder-rest for violins and other musical instruments comprising a padded cushion adapted on one side to engage the face of the casing of the instrument and having at its ends flexible securing-connections for holding under a yielding tension the rest against the instrument, one of said connections being adapted to engage the tail-piecepost of the instrument and the other the usual projecting portion of the casing of copies of this patent may be obtained for the instrument at the side thereof, and one of said connections being of elastic material.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a shoulder-rest for violins and other musical instruments comprising a padded cushion adapted on one side to engage the face of the casing of the instrument and having at its ends flexible securing-connections respectively adapted to be hooked upon the tailpiece-post of the instrument and the usual projecting portion of the casing of the instrument at the side thereof.

1-. As a new article of manufacture, a shoulder-rest for violins and other musical instruments comprising a padded cushion adapted on one side to engage the face of the casing of the instrument and having at its ends flexible securing-connections respectively adapted to be hooked upon the tailpiece-post of the instrument and the usual projecting portion of the casing of the instrument at the side thereof, and said connections being elastic bands.

As a new article of manufacture, a shoulder rest for violins and other musical instruments comprising an elongated padded cushion equipped at its ends with means for engagement respectively with the tail-piecepost of the instrument and the usual projecting portion of the casing of the instrument at the side thereof, said cushion comprising an inner base partition, padding on each side thereof, and covering fabrics secured over said paddings, the rest at one side of said partition being comparatively flat to en re the instrument and the rest at the other a die of said partition presenting a substantial convexity or mound effect to engage the shoulder of the player.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a shoulder-rest for violins and other musical instruments comprising a padded cushion adapted on one side to engage the face of the casing of the instrument and having at its ends flexible securing-connections adapted to elastically hold the rest in position and to be respectively engaged with the tailpiece-post of the instrument and the usual projecting portion of the casing of the instrument at the side thereof.

BERNHARD POEHLAND.

Witnesses V J 0s. J. Kaisnn, M. J. REINI-IEIMER, ALBERT LAMBERT.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

